I’ve completed five weeks of my half marathon training plan and there are six weeks (42 days!) left until race day! Up to this point I have not missed a single scheduled training run. I think that may be a training plan record for me!
This morning my alarm went off at the early hour of 6 a.m. for my long run. I planned to meet my running partner at 6:30 a.m. to tackle 10 again. First, as I shared on Facebook, I was not feeling the long run when I got up. Had I not committed to meeting my running partner, I probably would have bailed on it and done it later in the day. I got my game face on and was surprised to find that I had a really great and relatively effortless run (well, as effortless as running 10 miles can be).
Two things to note from this run…
1) I wore pants for the first time this season! It was only 60 degrees which is usually still shorts weather for me but I have been having issues with my shorts not feeling good and riding up on my runs. I decided to try my Lulu running crops instead and they were super comfy! I’m still a shorts girl but had no problem with the pants today.
2) New shoes AND new socks!
Earlier this year my favorite running shoes, the Mizuno Wave Elixir, were discontinued. I have desperately needed new shoes for the last month or so but I didn’t have the heart to go out and try to find a new style that I liked as much as the Mizunos. Well, that was taken care of for me when I was gifted a new pair last week! I do these yoga/mobility/strength clinics a few times a year for a local half and full marathon training group. I volunteer my time for them but the leader of the group owns a sports apparel store and is always so kind to give me something as a thank you. When he emailed to ask me my shoe size I explained to him my dilemma with the Mizunos and he promised to find a good shoe for me.
He brought me the Brooks Ravenna 5 which is a lightweight neutral/support shoe. They weight only about 8.5 ounces while offering a good amount of cushioning. I’m always terrified to test new shoes so I gave these a spin on the treadmill for an easy run before taking them out on the road. I did three short runs in them before wearing them for my long run. The verdict? I LOVE THEM! I have always loved Brooks and wore the Adrenaline’s for 5+ years until one unfortunate redesign that left me hating them. I’m happy to be back in Brooks again! 🙂 Run Happy!!!
I also received a new pair of running socks. These are the Thorlo Experia socks. I usually wear whatever low-cut thin socks to run in but when I start to run longer distances I feel that I could use some extra cushioning around my toes. These socks were amazing! They are made with these “Thorlo pads” around the toe and heel and it makes the biggest difference in the feel of the sock.
Between the new shoes and socks, my feet felt so good on the run! Muchos gracias to Omega Sports and the Omega Nation for hooking me up! And I’m eternally grateful that I didn’t have to go try on a million different pairs of shoes in search of the new right fit!
What shoes are you running in right now? Are you particular about your socks? Any favorites?
